ericflintfandomcom-20200213-history
George Blanton
George Blanton was a retired and widower who lived on a farm in Grantville. He, his wife Mary, and their son, Dave, lived together for a few years after Dave divorced his wife. Mary had passed away from cancer shortly after. The death of Mary caused Dave to become somewhat eccenteric. He became a survivalist, hoarding supplies and weapons. But three years later, Dave died in an auto accident. As Dave's sole beneficiary, George became quite wealthy, but had basically lost the will to live. When the Ring of Fire occurred, George was watching sports on TV. At first, he thought a power failure had turned off all the electronics in his home, and went to turn on the house's generator, which had been previously obtained by his son. After turning on the generator, he noticed someone had gone into his barn. He investigated and found a frightened girl, Anna Braun, who had run away from two mercenary rapists. George initially mistook her for a German tourist, but soon began to realize the seriousness of her situation, if not her origins. After failing to coax the frantic Anna out of hiding, George drove into Grantville for help. On the way, he was flagged down by his friend Elizabeth Reardon, who explained the events surrounding Police Chief Dan Frost, Mike Stearns and the posse that had retaliated against the mercenaries that attacked Anna's family. After dropping Elizabeth at her home, she recommended that George go home and lock his doors for safety. Upon returning to his home, George again tried to coax Anna out by offering her food. Shortly after, Elizabeth arrived, and informed George of the fact that the whole town was now in 17th century Germany. With a German dictionary, Elizabeth and George were able to communicate with Anna, and were able to learn something about Anna's origins and her ordeal with the mercenaries that had tried to rape her and had nearly killed her family. Upon hearing this, George became sympathetic to Anna's situation and showed his deep disgust for her rapists. The two helped Anna understand her new surroundings. The next morning, they were visited by the Reardon family. Jimmy Reardon told George about the Thirty Years' War and the current crisis of Count Tilly's mercenaries. George then gave the Reardons part of Dave's arsenal for Grantville's security. Together with the Reardons, George brought Anna to Grantville High School, where Anna's parents were being cared for. Anna was reunited with her mother, Tilda. George volunteered to let the Brauns stay at his home. George and Anna returned to George's home where they spent the day bonding with each other. The next day, George and Anna returned to Grantville High. George privately talked with Dr. Jeff Adams about the limited supply of medication for his heart condition. Adams concluded that George and the community's elderly were "in trouble." George later attended the first emergency meeting and was very frustrated by John Chandler Simpson's decision to oust the refugees that were coming into Grantville. When Mike Stearns took the podium and denounced Simpson's agendas, George openly supported Stearns. After the meeting, George took Tilda and Anna Braun to their damaged farm outside the Ring of Fire to salvage what they could before moving in to George's home. Upon returning, George prepped his disused tractor for his farmlands in the coming times. The next day George was met by members of the emergency committee, led by Willie Ray Hudson, who recruited George into plowing more plots of lands. George very reluctantly conceded to Willie Ray's request. In the weeks that followed, George frequently visited Dr. Jeff Adams for his heart condition. He was later introduced to Anna's father Jurgen Braun, who recovered from his wounds. After the Battle of the Crapper, George was joined by four more families, who had been pressed into service with Tilly's mercenaries. With this, George's farm flourished as the families were farmers. Due to his old age, his guests were greatly concerned about him, particularly as George continued to work hard in his fields. Within a year, George helped manage an engagement between Anna Braun and "Little" Jim Reardon. Shortly after, he died in his bed from heart failure. His last words were his wife's name. In his will, he bequeathed his worldly belongings to Anna, whom he recognized as his adopted granddaughter. Anna deeply mourned George's loss. Category:1632 Characters Category:Americans Category:Died of Natural Causes (Fictional Work) Category:POVs Category:Widowed People Category:Farmers Category:Grieving Parents